John Quincy Adams instruction on northeast boundary, 1823

Secretary of State John Quincy Adams wrote instructions to Richard Rush, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary from the U.S. to Great Britain, specifying the government's position on the northeast boundary between Maine and Canada.

He refers to the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812, the provisions it made for resolving the boundary, and the previous efforts that had been made to try to set the Maine boundary and others. He noted the many disagreements between the two sides.

Because the two sides could not agree on the map to be used, much less the boundaries, Adams proposed direct negotiation rather than placing the issue before a neutral arbitrator.